RAK ICC offshore company formation from $3,000
We form your company in RAK ICC, the corporate registry of Ras Al Khaimah, to hold shares, property and other assets, from $3,000 and in 3 to 5 working days.
RAK ICC Ras Al Khaimah
- AED 3,250 Registry fee to incorporate, first year
- 3–5 Working days from documents to certificate
- AED 3,950 Registry fee to renew, a year
What RAK ICC is
2015A registry of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah
RAK ICC stands for Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre. It is a corporate registry of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah, created by Decree No. 12 of 2015. The decree merged two older registries of the emirate, RAK International Companies and RAK Offshore. Its head office is in Ras Al Khaimah, and a second office works in Dubai.
2018Not a free zone: what it registers
The registry is not a free zone. Under its Business Companies Regulations 2018 it registers international business companies: they hold shares, property and other assets, trade across borders and rent no premises. Every filing goes through a registered agent, who also gives the company its registered address. We arrange both.
from $3,000Our price and the time
With us the company costs from $3,000 before VAT and is registered 3 to 5 working days after your documents arrive. The registry's base fee takes in three activities. The registry itself incorporates a company within 2 working days of a complete application.
RAK offshore company formation: how to form a RAK ICC company
- day 11
Structure and name
You tell us what the company will hold and who owns it. We check the name against the registry's rules and pick the activities: one is the minimum, and three are inside the base fee.
- 1–2 days2
Documents
You upload passports and address proof in your account. A company as shareholder sends its corporate documents as they are, because RAK ICC asks for no legalisation.
- then3
Filing through the registered agent
We draft the memorandum and articles on the registry's template and file the application.
- 3–5 working days4
Incorporation
The registry incorporates the company and issues the certificate of incorporation and the registers as electronic documents, which a bank verifies online.
- 2–5 days5
Beneficial owners and tax
We file the register of beneficial owners (UBO) and register the company with the Federal Tax Authority for corporate tax. VAT registration in the UAE is compulsory once taxable sales and imports pass AED 375,000 in 12 months.
- after registration6
Bank account
We prepare the application for a business bank account in the UAE or abroad with the registry's documents and answer the bank's questions with you until the account is open. They are listed in what a UAE bank checks in a business account application.
What clients write about Legarithm
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We had long been looking for someone to register a company in the UAE and help with the account. With Legarithm it went as it should: a clear process, help with the documents, no red tape.
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What a RAK ICC company may hold
The company owns subsidiaries in the UAE and abroad, in full or as the controlling shareholder. One parent then stands above the whole group.
The Dubai Land Department registers freehold land and property in the name of a RAK ICC company. For each property the registry issues a no-objection certificate, which costs AED 1,250.
Since April 2021 the Municipality of Ras Al Khaimah registers property in the emirate under a RAK ICC company.
An intellectual property holding company owns the rights of a group, licenses them to the operating companies and collects the royalties.
The company keeps accounts with banks in the UAE and abroad, receives rent and dividends there and manages investment portfolios.
A RAK ICC company registers a subsidiary in RAKEZ, the free zone of the emirate, or on the Ras Al Khaimah mainland. The subsidiary leases the office, hires staff and sponsors residence visas.
Who a RAK ICC offshore company suits
- Owners of several companies
- A founder with companies in more than one country puts their shares under one RAK ICC parent. The group is then sold or passed on by transferring a single company.
- Property investors
- One company owns the flat or the villa and receives the rent on its own account. A sale becomes a transfer of shares.
- International traders and consultants
- The company signs with suppliers and clients abroad and invoices them, with no office or staff to keep in the UAE.
- Families planning succession
- Two or more people can hold the shares jointly for succession, and a RAK ICC foundation can own the company.
- Offices and staff need a free-zone license
- A business with customers in the UAE, an office and employees takes a free-zone license, for example in RAKEZ. A holding that must be registered in Dubai itself takes a JAFZA offshore company.
What RAK ICC company formation costs
Our price is before VAT and covers the company and its registration. The registry's fees are shown as it publishes them for 2026.
RAK ICC company with us
from $3,000Get a quote- Registry fee to incorporate, 1 year
- AED 3,250
- The same for 2 or 3 years, paid at once
- AED 6,700 or 9,600
- Registry fee to renew, 1 year
- AED 3,950
- Renewal for 2 or 3 years, paid at once
- AED 7,250 or 10,650
- Each shareholder or director above three
- AED 200
- Each activity above three
- AED 550
- Accounting and the tax return, a month
- from $350
- Bank account application
- in your quote
The RAK ICC fee schedule for 2026, line by line
| Registry fee | Service | When you pay it |
|---|---|---|
| AED 750 | Certificate of good standing | Proof for a bank that the company is active |
| AED 1,000 | Certificate of incumbency | Names the directors and the shareholders |
| AED 1,250 | No-objection certificate, per property | Before a land department registers the property |
| AED 750 | Adding or removing a director | AED 1,050 when the director is a company |
| AED 1,250 | Transfer of shares | AED 1,750 when a company is a party |
| AED 1,500 | Change of company name | When the company is renamed |
| AED 600 | Change of activity | Filed with an updated business plan |
| AED 3,250 | Transfer in from another jurisdiction | An existing company continues in RAK ICC |
| AED 1,250 | Urgent processing | Same day, for a request filed before noon |
| AED 1,500 | Voluntary strike-off or liquidation | When the owners close the company |
RAK ICC or JAFZA offshore: the two registries compared
| Compared | RAK ICC | JAFZA offshore |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is registered | Ras Al Khaimah, with an office in Dubai | Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai |
| Fee to register | AED 3,250 | AED 10,000 |
| Fee each year after | AED 3,950 | AED 2,500 |
| First 3 years in registry fees | AED 9,600, paid at once | AED 15,000 |
| Time at the registry | 2 working days | 5 to 7 working days |
| Officers | One director, one shareholder | One director, one shareholder and a secretary |
| Papers of a corporate shareholder | Accepted without legalisation | Notarised and attested by a UAE embassy |
| Property in Dubai | Yes, certificate AED 1,250 a property | Yes, letter AED 200 |
| Moving an existing company in | AED 3,250 | AED 10,000 plus AED 1,000 |
Documents for a RAK ICC company
Documents
Each shareholder, director and beneficial owner
- Passport copy
- Address proof issued in the last 3 months
- CV or short professional profile
- Reference letter from a bank or an adviser
- A note on where the funds come from
A company as shareholder
- Certificate of incorporation
- Certificate of good standing or of incumbency
- Memorandum and articles of association
- Resolution to form the RAK ICC company
- Names of its directors, shareholders and beneficial owners
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformRenewal, yearly filings and tax of a RAK ICC company
30 daysRenewal, by the year or for longer
A RAK ICC company renews its registration every year, or once for two or three years. The registry sends a reminder 30 days before the expiry date and accepts the plain fee for one more month after it. We renew before the date, so the scale below stays on paper.
2 weeksThe annual return and changes
With the renewal the company files an annual return and replaces any identity document that has expired. A change of beneficial owner is reported within 2 weeks. A company struck off the register returns to it for a flat AED 550 on top of the fees due.
0% and 9%Tax: a UAE resident
For tax the company is a UAE resident. It registers with the Federal Tax Authority and pays 0% on the first AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above. It files a return every year, as set out in the corporate tax period, return and payment in the UAE, and we keep its books and file it: accounting in the UAE.
| Renewal paid | The registry charges |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 month after expiry | The renewal fee |
| In the 2nd month | The fee plus 10% |
| In the 3rd month | The fee plus 15% |
| In the 4th month | The fee plus 25% |
| In the 5th month | The fee plus 50% |
Questions about RAK ICC offshore company formation
What does RAK ICC stand for?
Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre, the corporate registry of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah.
Is RAK ICC a free zone?
No, it is a registry of international business companies, which hold assets and trade across borders without premises of their own. For an office, staff and visas the company registers a subsidiary in a free zone. Our page on an offshore company in the UAE sets RAK ICC beside the Dubai registry.
Can a RAK ICC company own property in Dubai?
Yes, freehold land and property. The Dubai Land Department registers it in the company's name on the registry's no-objection certificate, AED 1,250 for each property.
Can I get a UAE residence visa through a RAK ICC company?
Yes, through a subsidiary. Your RAK ICC company registers a subsidiary in RAKEZ, you become its shareholder, and the subsidiary sponsors your visa in 4 to 9 working days.
Can I move an existing company to RAK ICC?
Yes. A company from another jurisdiction continues in RAK ICC with the same legal identity and the same operating and banking history. The registry charges AED 3,250 for the transfer in.
Does a RAK ICC company file an economic substance (ESR) report?
A company incorporated now files none: the regulations stop with the financial year that ended on 31 December 2022, under Cabinet Resolution No. 98 of 2024. A RAK ICC company that held shares in 2019 to 2022 owed a notification for each of those years and a report for each year with dividends or gains. We go through those years with you.
Get a quote for your UAE company
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- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
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Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
